Attic Update 9: French Doors {painted}!

Hi all!

Just a quick post today.  We STILL haven't gotten that darn window replaced in the attic.  It rained ALL weekend.  Don't worry...we still found something to work on!

Last weekend, dad & I hung the French doors.  They looked like this:

This weekend, dad brought over his router & we took a little bit of the width off (they were rubbing when opened/shut).  Then we hung them back up & I took over priming & painting.

I flip-flopped over a paint color for the longest time.  I ultimately decided on the same yellow I used in the Ikat mural in my entryway.  It's bright...& I'm still flip-flopping about whether I like it or not!  I'm about 90% sure I'll keep it yellow, but I might do a little distressing, or a glaze or something over it.  Whatever I choose to do, I know that I'm for sure going to wait until the rest of the space is complete.  At this stage it's hard to tell if it's going to work as-is or not.

And because no post is complete without pictures!

Oh, & big bummer alert: the perfect glass doorknobs I purchased on Etsy aren't going to work.  Boohoo.  The space I have for a knob is too narrow & the knobs knock into the opposite door when it's opened.  I picked up some black gate pulls at the hardware store to use instead.  (Or until I find something I like better.)

This week/weekend actually looks like sun (hooray!), so we're planning on tackling the window & perhaps even starting to get some drywall hung!  Cross your fingers!

Attic Update 7: French Doors

Well...the French doors are up!  They still need to be sanded down a bit & primed & painted...but they're hung!

Dad came over one afternoon this weekend & we framed out the door jamb & got everything level & nailed up.  I use the term "we" loosely.  It was mostly him...I'm just there to make cuts, hold things, & hand him tools.  He does all the skilled work - ha!

Iron Man even made an appearance...he's good at fetching tools.

After the jamb was straight & level, we screwed in the hinges & hung the doors!  He asked to be in the picture.  Apparently this is how Iron Man smiles.

From inside the future master bedroom looking out onto the landing.

And from the landing looking into the future master bedroom.

Looking into the bedroom from the top of the stairs.

Don't they look awesome?!  My dad has crazy skills.  We still need to sand them down a bit so they don't rub when they shut, get some hardware on the doors (knobs & locks), & prime & paint them...but I LOVE how they're looking so far!  (I think Eli's even impressed!)

Attic Update 6: Random little things...

I misplaced/lost/forgot my camera charger at my grandpa's 95th birthday party a few weeks ago.  Therefore you'll have to deal with iphone pics until my replacement charger arrives...sorry.

We're nearly to the point of hanging drywall, but there are a few small things we're doing as we wait to start on that in a few weeks.

First, we started to take out the last remaining original window in the house this weekend, but after climbing up the ladder, dad deemed it too windy to keep at it & we had to settle for just loosening things up & cutting the wood to frame the new window in.  Con = no new window...yet.  Pro = everything is prepped & ready to go for a (hopefully) smooth replacement this weekend.

(Please ignore the state of the siding on this side of the house.  Eek!  The hot south sun is killing it.  It's on the schedule to be replaced in the spring...this cannot happen soon enough.) 

Since we didn't work on the window on Sunday, I decided to sand & stain the stair treads instead.  It looks pretty scary right now...half primed & stained.  I'm keeping the faith that it'll only get better as I finish priming, painting, & finishing them.

The French Doors are also ready for paint!  I bought the hinges & dad put them on the doors yesterday.  I also bought a couple of 1940's glass doorknobs on Etsy for a steal - $12 for two sets with back plates!  I'm planning on spraying the back plates ORB to match the new hinges.  Right now I'm leaning toward painting the door yellow to coordinate with the yellow stained glass in the corners.  That could change though.  I'm always changing my mind - ha!

I think that's all I've got for you on the attic.  Hopefully after this weekend we'll have a new window, primed doors, & be one step farther along on the stairs.  It's always good to dream big, right?! :)

Attic Checklist:
insulation: between rafters, loose in walls, foamboard on ceiling
frame up walls & closets
level out ceiling & jack up sagging roof
new electrical throughout attic
new window
planks in bunk & on upper portion of end walls
move vent from closet to bedroom
drywall (hang, tape, mud, sand)
build, paint, hang French doors
prime, paint, stain, varnish steps
remove door to attic & open up
prime & paint walls & ceiling
spray, make, & hang lights
finish floors (stain, paint, just varnish?)
paint & install stair railings
paint & install baseboard trim
paint & install board & batten trim
closet systems
storage doors for under eave access

Attic Update - allllllmost ready to rock {sheetrock that is}

After taking much of the summer off from the attic project, we're back at it!

Dad & I have been working on finishing up the foam board insulation (1 small piece left), & making sure we have all of our "nailers" in place so we have something to screw the sheetrock into.  It's exciting stuff!

We also purchased all of the plank paneling we'll need for the end walls & bunk nook.  (Can't wait!)

View from the top of the stairs looking toward the bedroom.  Office area will be on the right of the stairs, bunk on the left, with French doors leading into the bedroom and closets on either side.  (Ignore the tools scattered around!)

View from inside the bedroom toward the stairs...we're going to leave the chimney exposed.

This corner will be my office...

and this is the space that we'll build in a twin bed with the walls & ceiling in white planks.  (Grady says it's his room & that he'll use his old bedroom just for naps...haha!)

Oooh!  And the most exciting development...dad is almost done rebuilding the French doors...you know, made from my cousins, Keith & Megan's old windows!  He just put the glass back in & they're just about ready to paint!  I'll post more about how he refurbished them once they're painted & up!  (PS, I would have loved to keep the old blue paint, but we would have had to match the paint & the distressing on the new bottom panel & it just wouldn't have been possible.  My dad ran the whole window frame through the planer to get a nice, smooth surface to prime & paint.)

Next on the list:
Put in that last new window
Get sheetrock up (ceiling first)
Work on painting/staining the stairs
Nail the planks up in the bunk

Sometime later this fall/winter:
Sand, prime, paint ceiling & walls
Hang light fixtures
Finish floors
Hang French doors
Trim out everything
Build storage access doors
Paint & put up new stair rails
Closet systems

After taking whole the summer off, I'm crossing my fingers that we can finish, or get close to finishing by Christmas.  Wish me (us) luck!!!

Squint like Clint

We're slowly making progress on the attic...slowly.  :)

May is a busy month for us with Eli wrapping up his tennis season, lots of birthdays, & Mother's Day.  Not to mention the crazy amount of yard clean-up that we are stuck with every spring.  Two giant oaks + garden beds galore = time.

In the attic we've been putting up "nailers" (extra boards to screw sheetrock into), building a door frame for the future French doors, & hanging foam board insulation on the ceiling & sloped walls for an added layer of protection to keep the warm & cool air in the house.  It's not fun work, but it's laying the foundation.  Soon we'll be hanging drywall!

If you squint hard enough you can kindof envision what it'll look like!

PS, I've got a couple of fun outdoor projects that I'll share later this week or early next week.  (Think outdoor dining & window boxes!)  It's so nice outside that it's hard to work indoors!

Attic Update: French Doors & Power

My cousin Keith & his wife Megan own an awesome old home in Michigan that they're renovating.  A couple of years ago when I was there, Keith showed us a shed full of all of the old windows from the house.  They weren't able to use all of them at their place, & they couldn't find anyone to take them off their hands, so I kindly volunteered to steal a few from them.  A few months later when they came to MN, they were nice enough to haul a few our way!

A year & a half later, I know just what I'm going to use two of them for...French doors!  They'll need a little TLC before they're functional as doors, but I'm super excited about how they're going to look.  First we have to sand them down, then add some length to the bottom with some sort of inlaid panel.  After that I'll paint them.  I have a few colors in mind, but nothing set in stone yet.  (The blue they are now is even pretty!)  :)

Aren't they awesome?!   Love.

In other news, the power is on!!!  No more extension cords down to the kitchen - woohoo!

Last night dad (nailing), myself (cutting), & Grady (carrying) worked on getting everything ready for drywall.  There was one small wall we had to finish framing in Eli's closet, as well as adding "nailers" to some corners so we have a solid place to screw the drywall into.

It seems like we've been working on the attic for months & not getting anywhere.  That's not true, of course, we ARE making progress...but from here on out I think it will actually start to FEEL like it.  (Drywall going up, floors getting finished, trim, stair rails, etc.) 

This weekend the plan is to frame up the doorway (the LAST bit of framing we have to do!) & install the platform for the bunk.  Here's the rest of the list:

• build French doors
• new window
• foam board on peak
• drywall (tape, mud, prime, paint)
• planks on end walls & bunk
• trim & board & batten walls
• paint & hang lights
• tear out stair door & header & repair
• stain floor & stairs
• put up stair rails & paint
• build doors to under eave storage
• closet systems
• hardware (French doors & storage access)